Spring Is Starting--I'm Getting Used To It :) My Spring Look :)

Hi guys :)  Here is how I started my day :)

Yum :)

Also, here is my collection of...dare I say it?  Probably my favorite perfumes of all time--and they are dirt cheap!!!  I should do a perfume collection blog, as I own a whole bunch of perfumes from many price ranges, but thought I'd share these because I love them so much.  They are so wonderful!!!  I love to wear the violet one at bedtime, it has a really soothing, wonderful violet smell.  The old version of Rose and the old version of Oceane (maybe the new too--haven't tried it yet!  As you can see I have Oceane from back when the brand was owned by L'aromarine).  And then the others are just wonderful as they are--although wishing Outremer's newer version of "Rose" was sweeter like the old version.  It now is sharper and has a citrus note :-/  Anyone reading know of any nice, sweet, rose perfumes?  The sweetness of Fleurs reminds me of the old Rose, but doesn't satisfy that perfect rose scent craving that I need!!!  I love smelling like sweet flowers!

ONTO THE MAKEUP! :)

About The Makeup:

*Hourglass ethereal light is the one showed, which I used all over the high-points of my face GENEROUSLY, as ALWAYS (those darn powders are my favorite makeup item EVER).

*The La Rose de Versailles eyeliner and pink lip crayon were brought back to me from Japan by my boyfriend, wasn't that sweet... :)  Of course when he went over there, I told him he didn't have to get me anything but if he did, I'd want it to be makeup!

*The pink blush is from the ELF Blush Palette.  The contour shade is the only shade I used from the ELF Contour Palette...I love that contour.  It seriously lasts all day, more than a lot of my high-end contour powders can say.  Since the whole palette is only $6, yeah, I will continue buying the whole palette just to get that contour shade, although I hope they start selling it separately!

*For this photo, I tried to touch the brushes to the products that I used them with!! :)  That morphe eyebrush is the very best eyebrush I own (granted I own all elf, bh cosmetics, and sonia kashuk kit eyebrushes!!).  That eyeshadow quad by Napoleon saves my butt on days where I really don't have the time to do a full-on eyeshadow look.

*The one thing that I used that isn't pictured is a deluxe size sample of Anastasia Brow Wiz in Chocolate.  Wow, I am AWED by how well that stuff work on weeks where I haven't been regularly keeping my brows conditioned.  It was too tiny to see in the picture anyway!! :)

*The thing in the picture that I like the least is that Mario Badescu setting spray.  I now put it on if my face is feeling dry in the morning but I know I'm going to be washing my face soon (the case today, and why I was able to use such a heavy face cream [yu-be] with that tarte foundation, which for me is on the moisturizing side), because if I leave that rose spray on my face, it will get itchy.  Itchy faces are not fun and usually lead to either scratches or some sort of breakout!!  Really have to apply certain products to their own scenarios... Which was the case today.  I am usually an oil-slick!!

*---ON THAT NOTE: If you want a damn good hydrating/refreshing spray that also, weirdly enough, hydrates your eyes and soothes them (I have chronic dry eye and I don't like ruining my eye makeup with eye drops), try the Benefit Facial Hydrating Mist...It is seriously a godsend for me.  I don't even bother buying any other sprays for hydration anymore, unless of course it's an actual setting spray, which is a completely different thing.

*Pairing the Lancome Hypnose mascara with the Fleurs perfume really made me smile, as they smell a lot alike.  Very flowery, fresh, and lovely...Just one of those extra things that puts a pep in your step.

Pops of pink :)

My look :)  I look like I'm wearing a sheet, but it's a really long, flowy pink shirt that I got on clearance for $8 at Anthropologie back in January (back in January!  I can't believe how time flies.  Spring's here!).


Did anyone know that Dita Von Teese is actually a natural blonde?  I was doing a little research on her because I want to read her book, "My Beauty Mark," and when she was a teenager, she was blonde as blonde as blonde!!  The transformation is pretty cool.  She was always gorgeous, just in two different ways.  It's amazing what just a little makeup and some hair-dye can do.  If you want to change your personal style, you CAN do it!!  She's proof, for sure.

Back to the grindstone!  I have a TON of stuff to do today, and then I'm heading to dinner with a friend. :)


Hope everyone else is starting their spring marvelously!  Mine could be going a bit easier, there is a LOT TO DO and a lot of it is stuff that will change my life permanently if I don't get these tasks done, so I'm trying to keep calm, drink lots of tea, and push myself forward.  It hasn't always been easy!!  April is going to be a god-send!!!

Sally Hansen Airbrush Tan--My Thoughts and Experience.

EDIT:  I saw on emilynoel83's youtube channel that you can just mix this stuff in your hand with cheap Hempz lotion and then it works perfectly!!!  Doh!!!!  Hopefully this entry at least provides some laughs.

LOL.  The title of this alone is making me laugh because it not only sounds so serious, but in recent years I was FERVENTLY OPPOSED TO SPRAY TANNING IN ANY SHAPE, SIZE, OR FORM.

And now, lalala, I've got myself a bottle of spray tan.  That's essentially what this stuff is, I think.  They did sell this stuff as, 'Leg Makeup, Airbrush Legs', rather than spray tan, and that's part of what sold me.

I would not have bought this if they hadn't come out with the new, lightest shade, called Fairest Glow.  My fellow pale ladies, this is NOT the fairest glow.  But if you have a slight tan, you can pull it off very naturally.  I know it will match a lot of people who are of medium-fair skin, perfectly.  If you are anywhere around NC10/NW10...any of the 10s--This could easily be too dark for you if you aren't careful, although it could work if you are good at sheering it out and applying lightly--I think it MIGHT work...maybe, due to the fact that it's more of a sheer product and not really a high-coverage foundation.  But I do think N15s, and especially 20's, can pull it off more seamlessly if you don't get carried away with it.  I am an NW15, for reference, with my light suntan I got this summer :)



WHY I decided to buy it:  A few things pushed me over the edge.  I am inherently iron-deficient at all times--I bruise VERY easily, and I am also a mondo clutz.  I have also been busy as HECK lately and I've been hurting myself, namely my legs, all of the time because I'm running back and forth so much, overwhelmed and forgetful of the fact that, haha, large pieces of furniture are in my way.  Also my legs have been vein-ier (for lack of wanting to use a better word) lately.  And the other day, I ran into my boyfriend's cabinet he built when he was 12 (it is VERY sturdy and it was VERY painful.  In my angry tears I called it firewood...lol (I take it back now)), and got this gigando welt on the side of my leg.  Not even a bruise, but a rainbow colored black, blue, red and white lump.  So, with that and a combo of sales and coupons, and the fact that I saw the new lightest shade--I ran over to the store and grabbed two of these.

(Am I being thorough enough for you??  PHEW.  I'm trying to work on being more concise, but hopefully this is a good read.)

THE Application:  Because I'm a newb and I don't know what I'm doing with this, I put on some loose shorts and went on the back deck and had my boyfriend help apply it (I felt very classy...but I'd never used a product like this before and was worried about it staining the house).  I just used my bare hands, like a caveman (LMAO) and we followed the directions on the bottle, first applying a small pool of it in the palm and then blending it into the skin very quickly.  It has an absolutely beautiful fine mica in it that looks fantastic on the legs...kind of a silvery shimmer.  If you don't shake the bottle enough you will just get the shimmer, which can be wonderful on some parts of the legs (the upper thighs) and absolutely terrible on other parts (the knees, the feet), so you really do have to shake it well before each time you spray it.  The formula dries EXTREMELY fast.  Crazy fast.  You must forget all pre-notions of how a lady should daintily apply her beauty products and BLEND.  BLEND FAST.  BLEND like a damn mad-woman, rubbing the formula into the skin and buffing it out roughly in order for it to not set in patches.  I thought it would be a fun, slow activity, but because the stuff dries so fast, you truly do feel like you're in some kind of sculpture-building contest, chaffing and buffing as fast as you possibly can in order to disallow the product from drying into patches.  You do NOT feel like a lady when you apply this stuff.  If you feel like a lady while applying this stuff-YOU ARE NOT DOING IT RIGHT!!  LOL.

It, truthfully, was kind of fun, aside from the fact that my boyfriend and I disagreed on the best way to apply it.  He thought following the directions was the best way (spraying into the hand and then applying it), but I felt that shaking it aggressively and then spraying a fine mist, 12 inches away from the skin was the best way, because you would get a lighter mist and you wouldn't have to worry as much about blending perfectly because a lighter, more sheer amount of product would be applied each time you spray it (and I still stand by this thought).  Anyone have their own views on this?  Agree?  Disagree?

The hardest part of the application is without a doubt, the feet.  I HATE it when people wear spray tan and you can see, ew, the outline of the tan around their toes, and worse, their pale, white skin inbetween their toes...in my opinion if you can still see that you should have never bothered putting on spray-tan/self-tanner/body makeup.  What I did, was aggressively shake the can (as per-usual), spray a bit of the product on the tips of my fingers, and then QUICKLY rub the product between my toes using my fingertips (I told you, you do NOT feel like a lady -.- ).

Being that it sets so instantaneously, I have not found it to smudge at all on any clothing or furniture, although I was cautious in the first hour and a half after applying it.  I'm now sitting on the ground, feet firmly planted on the floor and yes OF COURSE I did apply the makeup to the bottoms of my feet (I'm not an animal).  Nothing is showing up on the ground.

The FORMAT: I would not say that the spray bottle, at least in the way we applied the product, added to the convenience of the product, but I think if we had done it the way I preferred to apply it, which was spraying it a foot away from the legs in sheer mists and rubbing it in very well afterward, in different spots, that would have absolutely made the sprayer a plus.  This product comes in two different formats, a sprayer and a squeeze lotion (which could be totally different and I know nothing about), so it may be just up to what your preferences/abilities are.

I don't think this product is for everyone.  If you suck at blending and it's just too hard for you, well, this probably isn't going to work.  I think anyone could do it if they worked at it and paid attention and had a good mirror and good lighting and/OR someone they trust watching them to make sure they don't miss spots.  Those factors won't all come together for everyone though, this is the real world.

I adore the shimmer of this product.  It makes me feel like a fairy-tale princess.  But some people might not like that aspect.  The shimmer does seem to leave the rest of your body faintly sparkly with teeny tiny sparkles :)  Which to me is so wonderful it's almost not worth mentioning, but I know some people don't like sparkles, so whatever.

This picture is absolutely not doing the finish justice.  The lighting is picking up on tiny glitter sparkles, which ARE present, but it's actually a much more uniform mica, similar to how an opaque, glitterless, mica silver eyeshadow would appear, and it does look very natural, at least on my skin.


I know this stuff washes off like a dream because I applied it with my bare hands and there was a huge layer of sparkly golden-brown stuff on both under-sides of my hands.  It dripped off within less than 30 seconds of gentle soap and water, normal hand-washing.  Was this a unique experience?  I don't know.  If it's not, well, the soap I used was just Softsoap Oatmeal Honey, the moisturizing kind you can get in a big refill bottle at the grocery store.


Would I buy this stuff again?  Absolutely.  SO FAR, anyway.  If you are a bad-ass at blending (and I do mean it very much when I use that curse word...No more appropriate word for it in my opinion), you can really get a beautiful look and what is wonderful about it, is it will last and it won't smudge off on anything, but it will wash right off with no effort at all in the shower.  I would not recommend wearing it on a rainy day outside with shorts on, because it comes off so well with soap and water that I'm worried it would literally just drip off, although maybe it wouldn't.

I think the color is not orangey on me at all...it's the classic tan color my warm-undertoned skin naturally turns.  It also is slightly tanner than the rest of my body right now, but it doesn't look out of place as I blended upward on the tops of my legs and it doesn't stand out against my other skin.

THE COVERAGE:  No, it absolutely did not cover up that welt on the side of my leg.  I would need some

That fun welt I've been talking about.

camoflauge makeup for that, possibly Dermablend or Colortration.  It did however, make my skin look tanner and because of that, it contrasted less with my skin, being that my skin is very pale and a dark bruise on it has a lot of contrast, so it stands out less now.
Veins and vericose veins, it covered lightly and well enough to make them not noticable unless you are looking for them.

Faint/tiny discolorations/freckles bruises--almost made those disappear and look more uniform.

==This is definitely less of a coverage product and more of a tanning product--but it absolutely is a low-coverage NATURAL foundation and I think that's what you want (and quite possibly, is as good as it's going to get) for your legs.

The overall appearance of my legs is a pretty sparkly glow over a tan softness, but it's still natural looking.  I'm really enjoying it and think it looks very beautiful, and it makes me feel better about my formerly yucky, sick looking legs :)  I'm happy I bought it.  I'm happy I have two cans!  SO FAR anyway.  It has been six hours now (so calm down, self...lol).  I will post an update on this very post, later.

 In regards to the appearance, I would also wear this leg-makeup in any season, not just summer-time.

 In dim, indoor lighting (YAY FOR ACCURATE PHOTOGRAPHY -.-  Another picture in natural outdoor lighting will be posted within 24 hours of the initial post time.)

I will post some pictures of this in natural light, tomorrow (edit: nope.  That didn't happen.).  It is dark and storming outside right now.  And I'm sorry for not thinking to do it earlier--I blame it on the fact that I'm just not excited to use my cell-phone camera, and my awesome camera I had previously got stolen, so the prospect of taking photos right now is all a bit disenchanting.


I enjoy this product so far :)  I'll update this post in a few days to let you guys know how it has faded, whether it was patchy or not, etc.

Hope you liked my REVIEW!  Haha, if anything it was hopefully at least an entertaining summary of a person's first encounter with self-tanner.

Still Here :) STILL Very Much Into Makeup!!!!

Hi everybody.  I hate that this has become one of those blogs where the person NEVER updates and always apologizes for it, some excuse about jobs, whatever, and it's like, who cares, just get on with the post.  So I'm not going to apologize after this time!!!  I'm busy as hell, still LOVE makeup and I'll update when I want!  Got it?! :)

I recently got hired at a makeup store, something I'm truly enjoying, and I've learned that even a job you enjoy is still HARD. WORK.  Partly because it is still just a beginner, foot-in-the-door position, I put a lot of energy into my job, but I still feel super happy expending that energy because it's something I'm enjoying doing.

How silly am I coming across when I say this next phrase?  VERY, but who cares.  ON TO THE MAKEUP!!!


Here are some things I've learned while working at a makeup store (and also ordering some raw ingredients online because I'm curious about making my own makeup):

1.  Powder makeup isn't all it's cracked up to be (but it does crack up).  People with oily skin especially think that powder makeup is their ultimate solution to makeup-wearing.  However, a lot of times the cause of oily/broken out skin is food allergies/skin allergies to certain ingredients and the use of harsh chemicals on the skin.  Oily skin needs moisturization too, and when you apply harsh chemicals and an excess of powder, the skin will actually over-compensate for it and create even more oils.  I also think most powders, with the exclusion of transcluent powders based on silica microspheres and similar ingredients, enhance wrinkles, even the popular high-end ones.  I think everyone would benefit more a balance between liquid and powder products that have ingredients in them that won't irritate your skin-type (and since everyone is different, from my knowledge anyway, I can't advise you, you just have to test things, just like with food intolerances).  I've found when I'm applying lots of powders, my fine lines begin to look a little deeper even when I take the makeup off.  So... I don't know.  I use a bit of powder and I've found my skin benefits from it, but I would NOT rely on it for everything in my makeup routine, and I'd hope if you do use it, you also use a good primer or moisturizer.

2.  There is makeup you should always buy high-end, and there is makeup you can buy for cheap and it'll work just as good or better.

High-end Products that Always Give The Best Results
--Pencil/retractable eyeliners
--Lipstick--better, less irritating formulas, can easily find ones with longer staying power, many times applies color faster/easier.
--Foundation (while there are some drugstore foundations I absolutely love, I've found that the staying power on my skin and/or the healthiness of my skin is greatly improved when I'm using high-end).
--CONCEALER.  I'm not even going to talk about why this is so much better.  IT JUST IS.  And I'm writing these lists just as the products pop in my head, but this would be at the top of my list.
--Powders, pretty much of every kind unless it's a setting powder based on silica microspheres (elf has one, it's the HD one), but there are some horrible high-end ones and you'd be better off grabbing drugstore than settling for those.
--Bronzer--much easier blendability, which is a plus for a beginner, since bronzer should always be blended well when contouring.  Otherwise, if you are great with bronzer, drugstore is fine.  I use drugstore and prefer it because I haven't found a shade I like as much as the one I currently use that is a drugstore version.
--Mascara.  There will always be a high-end option that performs just SLIGHTLY better than your holy-grail drugstore option... and to me, eyelashes are the most important part of makeup.  However, if you already have long eyelashes, go for drugstore and don't even worry about it.  You don't need slightly better if you already have long eyelashes...but for people with short, choppy ones, slightly can be a LOT.

Cheap Stuff That Is Just As Good:
--Blush--bar none, I find amazing blushes for very cheap, that most of the time, are better than the ones you have to pay high-dollar for, and last longer.  You may find some kind of shimmery, iridescent quality or fast blendability in high-end blushes that is superior to ones you can get for cheap, but other than that, they ALL apply the same and look just as gorgeous and last just as long interchangably, especially if you use a cream blush and then set it with a powder blush.
--Gel eyeliner--It is amazing, drugstore or high-end, and applies and behaves exactly the same.
--Eyeshadow--like blush, if you want some special shimmery quality or rare color, well, high-end may be your best bet.  But again, almost always, unless it's one of the rare high-end shadows that has INCREDIBLE staying power (like Clinique), you are doing yourself a service by buying beautiful, bright, drugstore shadows like Wet N Wild Comfort Zone or the Almay trios and just using a primer.
--Highlighter--Refer to blush (top of this list).

Something I'm Still On The Fence About and Need to Research (need to be honest here!!):--Eyeshadow primer.  So far the peach shade of ELF primer has worked the best for me out of ANYTHING, including Urban Decay, but still, everything seems to eventually fade!  I think part of the problem is I rub my eyes a lot due to chronic dry eye/or I'm applying eye drops for the same reason.  I need to research this badly!
--Face primer.  I've used both high-end and drugstore and I'm still on the fence about whether either one is really better than the other.  I'm very tempted to add it to the Cheap Stuff That Is Just As Good list, but frankly, I haven't tried enough yet.
--Lipliner--While for me, any lipliner with a dryer formula will do and will last all day, I do have dry, young skin, and I'm concerned that a dry formula on an older person would sink into lines unattractively.  I would like to experiment more with different formulas and see if there's one that provides more hydration, won't sink into lines and will provide the same benefits on older skin, because I'm just not clear on HOW lipliner performs on older skin yet.

3.  Everyone and their mother has a completely different skin-care routine.  Either nobody knows what to use, or everyone's skin is different :)  And while I'm very interested in it, it's still REALLY difficult for me to give skin-care advice.  There are a billion products/ingredients/terms to know about, in addition to the fact that every person's skin-type is dramatically different from the next person's. All I can tell you is to wash your face every day, always take your makeup off, and moisturize with something that won't irritate you/cause you breakouts, maybe starting with a gel moisturizer if you are acne-prone.  Also, often-times, staying away from the same ingredients that cause you stomach upset (peanut oil for example, if you are intolerant to peanuts) can be just as beneficial for your skin.



So that's my entry :) 

How To Be "Naturally Beautiful"

Being, "Naturally Beautiful," is some sort of phenomenon.  It is always hilarious to me when, because I wore a bright or dark eyeshadow or lipstick color, or decided to wear black eyeliner, now I'm brinking into, "Un-Naturally Beautiful," territory, even though to be, "Naturally Beautiful," I still was using NINE OTHER PRODUCTS.  To dilute the ignoramus of it all I decided to put together this little tutorial.

How To Be Naturally Beautiful

Step 1:  Your skincare.  Let's face it, you are going to get old and wrinkly FAST unless you have a good skin-care regime.  Use sunscreen and a moisturizer that doesn't break you out.  Because lord knows, PIMPLES are NOT Naturally Beautiful.  They may be natural, but they are not beautiful!!

In this picture, I am somewhat in the dark.  I wouldn't DARE go in bright sunlight with no makeup on and take the picture, because we all know that's not a naturally beautiful sight...


Step 2:  Prime your face.  I'm using a primer that diminishes my larger pores and creates a smooth canvas on my face.  That's what primers are supposed to do.  Pores are NOT beautiful, so best you cover them somehow, and since primers are sheer, you won't look like you have extra makeup on your face!

The product is called, "Dr. Brandt," Pores No More.  It works awesomely, but it's pretty freaking expensive and I'm not going to go out and purchase it (this was a sample).  So best you go buy the cheapest, somewhat shittier primer that you can find, like I will do when this runs out.  Don't worry though, your makeup is the most important part in being Naturally Beautiful.


Step 3:  This is the most important part.  Applying your concealer.  Since you want to use as few skin-covering products as possible (to eliminate the chance of cakiness), I highly recommend skipping foundation and just going straight to a high-coverage concealer that will kill two birds with one stone.  Also, apply it with a beauty blender (I recommend the Real Techniques Complexion Sponge).  Applying it with a beauty blender will sheer out the high coverage concealer and provide you a natural finish that most makeup brushes can't achieve.  So everything looks like it's just your skin.  BUT BETTER.

Now because most of the colors and impurities in your face are gone, your skin looks rather flat.  But not to worry!!  You'll be covering this with makeup that creates the Naturally Beautiful Look once again.


Step 4:  Applying your powder.  Because you want this look to be as natural as possible and you also want it to last as long as possible, you need a decent powder, one that will leave a natural finish.  I think the powder I chose not only sets, but makes the concealer I used look more natural than the concealer would by itself.  Many people use bare minerals for this, I just use Elf Mineral Booster in shimmer.  Also a lot of people use HD powders, which are really just Dimethicone and Silica mixed together and you can get them for a hell of a lot cheaper at websites like TKBtrading.com... You just want something that isn't going to settle in your fine lines or look cakey.  After all THAT wouldn't look natural.  You can't just choose powder, you have to choose the RIGHT powder.

I applied with the ELF Large Stipple Brush because I think it applies the powder sheerly, avoiding even more chances of cakiness.  And yes, that's a hair-tie around it, go back a couple entries and you'll see why I did that.  (And if you're not noticing yet, yes I use a lot of ELF products.  Why buy something expensive when I can have something cheap that works just as well?)


Step 5:  Choose your blush WISELY.  Lord knows, a bright pink one and you'll be accused of being Un-Naturally Beautiful once again.  I opted for the one on the left.  It's kind of a berry tone and on my skin looks like I was walking around in the cold and got a little flushed.  You can do swatches on your arms to see which looks the most natural on you.  Then pick the blush that goes with the best swatch, and voila!!

Make sure to apply your blush with an excellent brush.  I will explain this in further detail in another entry, because I don't think other people emphasize this enough, but it is truly easiest to apply blushes with a dense, soft, fairly large blush because it will blend the color into your skin a hell of a lot easier and cover more surface area, allowing for a quick application.  Of course you don't want to use that type of brush for the high-pigmented blushes.

Oh, look I yawned.  Don't wanna do that in front of people without covering your mouth!!  That's not Naturally Beautiful!!

On second thought, pose with your blush brush for a second.  Look at you, you're almost done!!  Being Naturally Beautiful took a lot of steps, know-how, and techniques, didn't it!?

Step 6:  Apply your mascara.  If you can get away with it, do NOT use a clumpy mascara.  People see clumps in your mascara and they run off saying, "YOU ARE NOT NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL!!!"  You can even wear some natural looking false eyelashes (Revlon Precision lash glue is supposed to be a good glue), I won't tell anybody.  And dear GOD, comb out the clumps!  But don't comb it too thoroughly, if your lashes are not tangled a little bit, that might look too unnatural!!

Step 7:  Now, pick out your lip product.  I know what you're thinking here.  Hey, that nude-colored lipstick doesn't look too bad!!  WRONG.  You want to have color on your lips, but if they look completely covered in lipstick, that won't be Natural Looking enough.  And if you choose the red one, you're screwed.

You know how to put on lipgloss.  Voila.

Step 8:  Oh, didn't anybody tell you that your eyelids by themselves are too veiny?  Well here, I just handed you that gem without you even asking.  Now apply some nude colored eyeshadow (whatever color you may be).

Make sure to blend it in really well with your finger.  Lord knows if it looks too powdery what will be going through the minds of those Wise People all around you.


Step 9:  Lovingly gaze at the pile of products you used to accomplish this Natural Look.  You're done mother*cker!

In some lightings, you'll SUPER-won't-look-like-you-did-your-makeup!

Knowledge is power baby, knowledge is power.

In fact, the more casual you act and the less you look like you give a shit, the more Naturally Beautiful the Wise People around you tend to think you are.

BOOM!  And done!!


Product List (GAH, I hate writing this part.):
*Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream With Clary Sage
*Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Face Oil Free Lotion Sunscreen
*Dr. Brandt Pores No More (I plead with you not to buy this)
*Glamoflauge Concealer in the shade Ultra Light
*Real Techniques Complexion Sponge
*Elf Mineral Booster in the shade Shimmer
*Elf Stipple Brush (it's the large one but they don't name it large...hence my writing it that way)
*Elf Mineral Pressed Blush in the shade Wanderlust
*Bestope Premium Synthetic Kabuki Brush (the rounded one.  This was shipped from China and I am kind of ashamed of buying it)
*Elf Eye Enhancing Mascara
*Elf Conditioning Lip Balm in the shade (what a surprise) Nice & Natural
*Elf Essential Brow Comb and Brush
*Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in the shade Silky Caramel (not sure they sell this shade anymore, but there are many similar shades in the line if you're looking to buy the exact same brand I used...it's pretty pricey and I bought it at a weak moment in my sophomore year of college.)

Total Number of Products Used To Achieve Naturally Beautiful Look: 13
Sarcasm Scale: 100%
I Didn't Give A Shit Level: Off The Charts
Percentage of Dumbassery That Prompted Me To Write This Entry: 100%


PS: No, I'm not an egotist, I don't think I'm amazing looking, and I didn't write this to show-off... Saying How To Be Naturally Beautiful was all in good fun and in sarcasm and I felt the need to write this PS in case anyone for some reason felt strongly otherwise.

I Figured Out The ELF Large Stipple Brush ;) Total Quick-Fix!! Three AWESOME Tricks!!!

This review is extremely enthusiastic.  I promise you I am in NO way affiliated with ELF and that I take pride in giving honest reviews!!!  I am just in awe by how well this product worked for me after I gave it this quick-fix.  It not only made it a decent brush, but the brush became an irreplaceable staple in my collection!!  Severely out-did my expectations...I can't wait to show you the tricks I discovered!!

To those of you who opened your ELF package, took out the large stipple brush, and then were dismayed to find out how loose and flimsy the hairs were, I'm hoping you didn't throw it in the trash.  If you did, prepare to be disappointed!!  Pull it out from where-ever you stuffed it!!!  I'm about to totally change your opinion on this thing.

But first--go grab a small hair-tie or rubber band!!!

(pictured: ELF Stipple Brush, the larger version, and ELF Mineral Glow Powder)

I used a small, regular, pink hair-tie and just secured it around the wooden end of the brush 5 times.  I then slid it up the wooden part until the hair-tie was around the bristles!! :)

This made the brush firm enough to apply makeup without the bristles spreading out too much and causing brush marks.  They stay together enough now to actually do the job they are supposed to do--stipple!!

Trick 1: Use It With Foundation
To test out the brush, I first used it to apply Revlon's 24 Hour ColorStay Foundation, the original kind, not the whipped (which I don't care for as much).  Oh my god.  I absolutely love the application of the foundation with this stipple brush.  I poured some of the foundation onto the back of my hand, dabbed the ELF Stipple Brush into it, and then stippled my cheeks, nose, undereyes, the entire face, just buy patting the brush onto my skin at a 90 degree angle and lightly bouncing it against my skin where I wanted coverage.

The application looks FLAWLESS.  There are no brush marks at all and it just looks so wonderful!!!  I couldn't be more thrilled with the application of this, it's my new favorite foundation brush.  It's definitely better than my Meijer-brand beauty blender, which was what I was using to apply the foundation previously!!  It's also better at applying this particular foundation than my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.  And while I can't compare to the Sigma F80 yet, I honestly think that the application looks so flawless, that I don't see how it could possibly get any better.  Highly impressed!!! (Note that I did not use the foundation to cover up the blemish on my chin--I rarely cover up blemishes because I feel it's healthier for my skin and makes them go away faster).


Trick 2: Use It To Apply Blush
Now I have heard a lot about the power of using ELF's Small Stipple Brush to apply very pigmented blushes.  And I've used it a great deal for this purpose, having no superior option.  But I have one complaint about it, used in that format.  It's so small that you really have to work at blending out what little you put on your cheek, and because of this, you have to work hard not to have little spots on your cheek that appear to have more blush than other spots.

ELF's Small Stipple Brush has been such a raved about option for blush, I thought it was only natural that I give the large one a try, now that it's in working order!!  I grabbed the Wet N Wild Color Icon Blush in Heather Silk because this is a blush I have never, ever worn in public due to the deep pigmentation and how fair my skin is.  I knew that with the small stipple brush, this blush didn't work at all for me.  But what about the large?  I tried it, and was so pleasantly surprised.
After lightly dipping the brush in the blush and tapping off excess powder (like I would the small stipple brush), the concentration of blush is light and evenly spread out--there are no dense, concentrated areas of blush that are hard to blend. .

I can actually apply this blush extremely quickly, which was a very pleasant surprise.  It took me all of ten seconds to do my blush, and it was blended and even-looking, when before, with the small stipple brush, it took a solid minute of full-concentration to application and blending.

I can finally wear this blush now.  Above are the results thus-far in the process.  Please don't mind my eyeshadow, I found an old The Icing Eyeshadow Palette from when I was in Highschool in the back of my closet, and I was smearing colors on my eyes half-hazardly to check out the pigmentation and texture.  Haha :)

Tricks 3 and 3.5: (My Absolute FAVORITE Trick) Use A Stipple Brush To Apply Loose Powder!!!
For the final trick, I'm SO EXCITED to share!!!  I usually use the large container of Elf Mineral Booster in sheer, (with 4 tablespoons of baby powder mixed in, trick 3.5** because I am very pale and without it, it's too dark for my complexion--the baby powder actually improves the texture and appearance in my opinion as well!), for all over my face, applied with a big pink powder puff, because I've found that that was the application that looked the smoothest and most natural on my face, more natural than any brush I've ever used, including Bare Minerals, The ELF Complexion Brush, and many more.  I've also used Elf's Glow Powder in Shimmer with the powder puff, both with and without baby powder mixed in and found that the application of it didn't look nearly as smooth as the mineral booster.

Well, I have two full containers of the Glow Powder, and unfortunately, they are the same size as the large version of the mineral booster!  I decided that since I thought the texture of this powder was sub-par, I would definitely notice if there were a smoother or harsher application when applied with the stipple brush.  It was sort of a gamble, but I wanted to try it!!  Just like the blush, I dab the brush in just a little bit (this time using the cap of the product), and then tap off the excess.

So, so shocked.  The powder looks incredible.  Now I feel like I am cheating on the Mineral Booster!!  This is absolutely my new way to apply powder.  It's the smoothest application of powder I've had to date.  No cakiness at all...just natural!  I don't know if you guys can tell from the pictures, but I think the biggest change that I can see from the photographs, is my nose.  My nose is very oily, and makeup loves to break up and cake up if I don't set it quickly enough.  In the first picture, you can see that there is makeup on it breaking down, but in the second picture, it just looks smooth and matte.

This brush that I was on the brink of throwing in the trash, has now become one of my favorite makeup brushes, all thanks to a hair-tie.

I hope this post was useful to you!!!  Have you ever had any makeup items that you thought weren't so great, but then you re-purposed them and they became favorites?  Please share!!!

Sorry I look so crazy!  Hope you will give this a try, regardless!! :)  I know you will be pleasantly surprised.

PS:  Tried out a different hair-style today!!  It kind of reminds me of the 50's, which is an era I love to re-invent :)

Take care and have a wonderful week :)


Oh PS: I've got highlighter all over that spot above my eyebrows on my forehead HAHA.  That's why the powder didn't cover it.  I was just messing around with different things I was finding today!!!